We are, for better or for worse, a melting pot of the people, places and things we surround ourselves with on a daily basis.

The old adage of “you are what you eat” is just as true when it comes to who you interact with and what you consume on the internet and social media.

You wouldn’t eat a bunch of junk food and then wonder why you feel horrible. It would be obvious. It was all the junk.

However our brains are increasingly feasting on digital slop and I believe it’s doing way more damage than that bag of Cheetos.

It feels like every column I write, I bemoan the impact that social media is having on our society. Yes, I’m becoming a grumpy old man, but I swear it’s more than that.

We’re fed content that’s meant to keep us consuming. It’s the internet with added MSG. Your attention is for sale to the highest bidder and that rarely aligns with your mental wellbeing or pesky things like informational accuracy.

What began as a way to catch up with former classmates or family abroad has devolved into memes meant to keep you scrolling and sharing. Your circle contracts until your feed is nothing but an echo chamber, further isolating you from alternate opinions that or anything that might make you close the app.

I’m as guilty as anyone for spending way too much time scrolling. I stopped writing this to watch indoor plant videos for 20 minutes. Clip after clip of snake plant propagation videos. It’s what Facebook decided was the best way to keep my swiping as I had searched for snake plant propagation earlier today. 

As you’re no doubt aware, the great algorithm knows and sees all these days. It doesn’t matter that I wasn’t on Facebook when searching. The “web” is just that: An  intricately interconnected and purposefully sticky place.

For example, if you watch Fox News, regularly visit conservative websites and have social media connections to folks who do the same, the chances you’ll see opposing views is slim.

Maybe you’re a longtime CNN viewer and follow NPR on Facebook. Your feed is likely a much different place than the above.

You both think you’re in the majority because the majority of the stuff you see is meant to be agreeable. 

I’ll often check the comments on posts and the bulk of them are typically regurgitating the same sentiment as the original post. That’s because you probably wouldn’t follow a page or person you knowingly disagree with in the first place. But you really should.

If you’re a die-hard Fox News guy, turn on CNN for 10 minutes and watch it as if you’re not seething at the people on your screen.

Avid CNN watcher? Tune into Fox News and do the same. Better yet, if you have YouTube TV or similar streaming services, you can watch up multiple screens at the same time. It’s overwhelming, but you’ll see exactly how different networks will frame the same breaking news to suit their viewership or fit a specific narrative. 

I regularly have FOX, CNN, MSNOW and BBC on in my office. I enjoy seeing it in real-time. I regularly encounter plenty of differing views but it’s because I actively seek them out. Most people are content to live in their bubble. I don’t blame them. The world can be an overwhelming place and we can’t solve all of its problems.

But we can all give 10 minutes to pretend we care enough to seek a little opposition once in a while, right? 

Healthy debate is like vegetables. You know it’s good for you so why not do something about it?

That doesn’t mean just taking to the comment section of a click-bait Facebook post. Engage with people in your life in a constructive way. Attempt to see things from their perspective without preconceived  ideas based solely on their political affiliation.

We are all more than who we vote for at the polls, regardless of how we’ve all felt that way in recent years. 

Be curious. If you read something and it sounds suspicious, take 5 minutes and seek other sources. While you’re at it, seek out some alternative views on the topic. I know, that sounds crazy.

We are bombarded by an endless feed of information each and every day. 

Seek opposition. Know when you’re being fed junk. Eat your vegetables.